digitalBush

This is definitely worth putting out there since I had to dig a little to come up with the correct information. I have a 2005 Nissan Xterra and the rear hatch lifts were shot. It has gotten cold here lately and the hatch would only hold itself up about 4 foot from the ground. I'm 6'5" and this resulted in several head bonkings! Normally you can just run to your friendly local parts store and pick these things up for $20-$25 each (you need 2). However, as I've found the case to be for most of my Nissan parts needs, none of the parts stores carried them.

A few calls to my local dealerships priced these from $30 and up (each!) with a 2 day wait for them to be ordered. If I'm going to have to wait, then I might as well get them cheaper. A few google searches and I figured out that McMaster-Carr sells generic versions of these which they call a "gas spring." It's slightly longer than the stock, but it works on my truck with no clearance issues.

The part number I got was 9416K146 which is listed as a "Gas Spring with Threaded Ends, 150 Force, 18.18" Extended Length, 7.87" Stroke". I was able to purchase them shipped to my door for $37 for both lifts. Here was the process for me:

1. Prop up the rear hatch with a ladder.
2. Unclip the stock lifts from the hatch and vehicle (Stick a screwdriver underneath the metal clip to disengage the ball socket).
3. Unscrew the ends from the stock lifts and screw them onto the new lifts.
4. Snap the new lifts onto the vehicle and hatch ball tips.
5. Remove ladder and open and close the hatch several times while admiring my work.

Like I said earlier, these are longer than stock. You'll want to check out for any clearance issues when you install these. My rear hatch now lifts a few inches higher than stock which is just fine for me with my height. At the top hinges I have approximately 1/4" clearance before the backside of the hinge would be able to contact the hatch lip.

Also, this worked for my 2005 Xterra. Others are reporting that it works for other year models (I saw reports for 2005-2008 year models). Some people reported needing to purchase 2 of part number 9416K79 because there was different ball socket sizes between the liftgate and the vehicle body. This is supposed to be the correct size socket that will thread onto the M8 threads on the lift spring. I didn't need those, but I would suggest pulling off your old one and looking at the ball sockets of each end before ordering.

Finally, I'm just putting this out here for general knowledge. This may or may not work for your Xterra. I'm not responsible if your hatch rips off or cracks you in the head. I just felt like $60+ for these was a little pricey. McMaster-Carr delivered these to me in 2 days which is the best the dealership could do as well. I hope this helps and you were able to find this quicker than I did digging through the message forums.